


Seven Minutes in Heaven

by jedi_penguin



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 06:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5858695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedi_penguin/pseuds/jedi_penguin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during "Point of Salvation."  What were the others up to in the closet while Ezekiel was off exploring?  Just a few moments among many.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Minutes in Heaven

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dweo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dweo/gifts).



> Because I love fellow multi-shippers.

7.

Baird was still trying to get her head around the entire “video games can rewrite reality” thing when Ezekiel tricked her and the others into entering a small office. “Hang on. This isn’t a weapons—“ Suddenly, the door slammed and Ezekiel wedged his crowbar under the door. “Jones!”

“Jones! What are you doing man?” Stone sounded pissed. Baird wondered if he was angrier at being trapped or at being denied a rocket launcher.

The young thief had a slick story prepared, just as he always did, about how it was safer and more logical for him to explore the game by himself. Behind his clear explanation, however, raw pain shone through. How many times had they died? How many times had **she** died? How many times had that kid been the last man standing? Jesus wept; how had Jones stayed sane?

Baird couldn’t blame him for wanting to keep all the danger for himself. She would have done the same. Without a moment’s hesitation.

Cassandra didn’t see it that way though, so she tried to reason with him. Ezekiel left before she could say much more than his name. Huffing in frustration, she asked, “So what should we do now?”

“The room is too small for _Red Light, Green Light_ ,” Stone said sourly, “and we don’t have enough people for _Duck, Duck, Goose_ , so I guess we sit down and wait for Jones to die. The three of us wink out of existence and we get to do it all again.” Stone smiled tightly. “Worst. Gaming experience. EVER.”

“Not really a gamer, so I’ll take your word for it.” Baird scowled in frustration. “So how does this work, anyway? Is this really all we can do, just hang out in this closet until we go ‘poof!’ and wind up back at the first save point? Forget gaming; these are the worst mission parameters ever. And considering some of the missions I've seen, that's saying something!”

Stone shrugged. “If Jones is correct, and he seems pretty certain that he is, then… yeah. Sitting on our asses until we ‘poof’ is about all we can do.” 

“Well, that’s all we can do in **this** loop,” Cassandra corrected. “Theoretically, Ezekiel could have locked us in this room thousands of times already and we’d never know it. Alternately, he could have sent us off on a million suicide missions and we’d never know that either.” Cassandra beamed, her enchantment with the theoretical puzzle overcoming all irritation with the situation. “Until we reach the save point, all possibilities are correct and none of them matter. We are Schrödinger’s Cat (or would that be Cats, plural?), only with Rage People instead of lethal lead boxes!”

“Without the who?” Baird shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I guess the big question is what do we do in this ridiculously tiny room in the meantime to keep us from killing each other?”

“Wouldn’t matter if we did,” Cassandra said brightly. “Kill each other, I mean. If I were to grab your gun and shoot Jake again, it wouldn’t matter in the slightest. He’d come back to life again in the next loop and would never remember me murdering him. No consequences at all, not even hurt feelings!” She suddenly seemed to notice the look of alarm on Stone and Baird’s faces, so she hastily added, “Not that I would! I just meant that I **could**. Not that I would. Because I wouldn’t. But I could.”

“Yeah…. I’m putting my gun away just to be on the safe side… I’m thinking that there’s no reason to risk homicide just because it is temporarily free of consequences. Besides, I think Stone has been shot enough times for one day.” With a dark glare at Cassandra, the art historian growled his thanks. “And let’s remember that just because we **can** do something doesn’t mean that we **should**.”

“How about confessions?”

“What?”

“Isn’t there anything you’ve always wanted to tell us but didn’t because you didn’t know how we’d take it?” Although she had objected more fervently than any of them to being locked into this room, Cassandra was now having **way** too much fun being here. 

“Not really,” Baird lied. “Besides, I’m not so sure that that is a good idea either. Just because we won’t remember doesn’t mean that it can’t get super awkward in here for the next couple of hours.”

“Nonsense! Confession is good for the soul!”

“Not really sure that’s true. You should trust me on this one; I was raised Catholic.”

Cassandra ignored Baird, continuing on as if she hadn’t been interrupted. “And since this was my idea, I’ll start. I’ve been researching polyamory in my free time!”

“Oooooooh-kay, then,” Baird drawled carefully. “That’s… nice… Any particular reas-- Nope. No. Scratch that. Don’t even wanna know.”

Cassandra looked slightly crestfallen. “So, not your thing then?”

“Uh… no.” Realizing how judgmental she sounded, Baird quickly defended herself. “It’s just that my real life involves coordinating people and making sure everyone is in exactly the right place at the right time, and I have no desire to bring all that work and planning into my bedroom.” Baird blushed crimson. “And I can’t **believe** I just said that out loud.”

“It really isn’t all that complicated though.” Both women turned to look at Stone and he shrugged. “I mean, if threesomes aren’t your thing, they’re not your thing, and that’s cool. But don’t be scared of them because you think they’re too difficult or complex. Because they’re not. As long as everyone is into it, everyone gets something out of it.”

“So you have experience then?” Stone smiled and quirked his head but said nothing. Cassandra squeaked in excitement. “You have! Was it a one-night only thing, or a committed thing? Because I’m only interested in… I mean… What I want is…”

Stone’s eyes lit up. “You’re thinking of a committed thing between us and Jones?” Cassandra nodded. “I’ve been kind of thinking about that too. As in, kind of a lot.”

Baird smiled, her face finally starting to lose the deep red of her earlier embarrassment. “If you’re able to pull it together, I’d be happy for you three.”

“I doubt we’ll remember any of this, but theoretically, it’s possible that some part of this conversation might linger in our subconciousnesses. If so, that might help us ‘pull it together.’ And if that’s the case, Eve, I want you to know, or to at least sense, that you’d be welcome to join us. Any time.” Stone nodded fervently.

To her surprise, this awkward invitation touched Baird rather than embarrassing her. She was oddly regretful when she declined. “Thanks, but I’m actually kind of straight, in addition to being the most vanilla person in the Annex. I just don’t see myself getting into the whole group thing properly, but thanks for thinking of me.”

“Are you?”

Now Baird was embarrassed again. “The most vanilla of them all? I think I might be. And since we have a thousand year old asexual virgin on the team, that seems slightly worrying…”

“No,” Cassandra clarified. “Straight? Are you really straight?”

To her surprise, Baird was a bit hurt by the question. “Of course I’m straight! Why would you ask that? I can’t believe you’d be so narrow-minded as to think I'm too ‘butch’ to be straight just because I'm a soldier!”

Although it was Cassandra who was facing down Baird’s anger, Stone answered for her. “Of course she doesn’t think that! We haven’t wondered because of you at all, but because of Flynn.”

This baffled Baird. “Flynn?”

“You know how he’s always wearing beads and ascots and flowers and cravats and stuff like that?” Baird nodded. “He’s kind of the textbook definition of metrosexual, and we figured—“

“Wait. ‘We’ figured? Just how many of you have been discussing my sexual orientation?”

Stone ignored the interruption. “We figured that if you were into Flynn, then ‘manly men’ must not be your thing at all, so we wondered—“

*~*~*

RESET

*~*~*

6.

“How long have we been playing this stupid game?”

“Not a legitimate question, Stone.” Baird shook her head in mock disapproval. “Again, I say, I spy with my little eye…”

“Fine! Is it square?”

“No. Your turn, Cassandra.”

“Yay! I think I know! Is it—“

*~*~*

RESET

*~*~*

5.

Baird leaned against a wall, considering while Ezekiel and Stone left. Cassandra was still pounding on the window and yelling at Ezekiel, but Baird had a feeling that it was a waste of breath.

“So, Red, any ideas?”

“For getting out of this room? None. Ezekiel seems pretty confident that we’ll disappear when either he or Jake is killed, so I guess we just wait.”

“Wait for one of our friends to be gruesomely murdered by not-calling-them-rage-people? That’s a cheery thought.”

“Yeah,” Cassandra agreed glumly. “I mean, it’s not so bad for Jake since he won’t remember, but, yeah, it’s still pretty awful.” She sighed and slid down the door unto the floor. “I guess we might as well talk about something in order to take our minds off of it all.”

Baird pulled a couple of large boxes down off the shelves to create a chair for herself. “Alright. What should we talk about?”

“How are you and Flynn doing? I mean, what happened there?”

The taller woman blinked. “Woah. Not pulling any punches, are you Cassandra? Going straight for the jugular.”

“Am I? I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot of experience with girl talk and—“

“Girl talk?” Baird snorted. “Is **that** what we’re doing?”

“Maybe?” Cassandra shrugged uncomfortably. “I didn’t really have any friends when I was a kid; my parents didn’t want me spending time on relationships that wouldn’t help me win science fairs. After my diagnosis, well… let’s just say that I was alone a lot until I met you and Flynn at the hospital. You’re probably the closest female friend I’ve ever had. I thought—“

“You’re fine. Don’t worry about it.” She sighed. “I’m out of practice with girl talk too. I’m just not sure what I want to say about Flynn. I don’t know that there is **to** say.”

“It might make you feel better to talk about it,” Cassandra said quietly. “Especially since there are no consequences. You’ll get some things off your chest, and I won’t remember anything you say. That’s good, isn’t it?”

Baird wasn’t convinced that talking about her troubles with Flynn was a good idea at all, but if Cassandra wouldn’t remember, it might not be a bad idea either. She didn't see how it could hurt, in any case. “There isn’t a lot to tell, actually. You knew that I was super pissed when I found out that he’d been sneaking into the Library to drop off artifacts whenever I wasn’t there, right?” Cassandra nodded; Baird’s rage had been quiet but unmistakable after Jenkins accidentally let that bombshell drop. “Shortly after that, I thought he’d been kidnapped by Ray, and I was so worried that I forgave him entirely. I asked him to stay and work with us. Almost begged him. But Flynn left anyway.” Baird shrugged. “He hasn’t answered a call or returned a text since then. I check with Jenkins once a week or so, to make sure that he’s still alive, but I don’t know anything more than that. Hell, I don’t even know if we’re just on a break (which is what **I** meant to happen), or if we’re officially not a thing at all any longer.” She sighed. “When it comes to Flynn, I apparently don’t know anything.”

“But how are **you** doing?”

Baird snorted. “I’m mostly too busy worrying about Prospero to ask myself that question. When I do have the time, I’m sad.” She stared intently at the younger woman. “I love him, Cassandra. I shouldn’t; we’re far too different. I need stability and planning in my life while he needs spontaneous adventure. He's a wonderful person and we have fun together, but I’m not sure we’re actually all that **good** for each other. And yet… I love him. I’m not pining away without him, but I’m not especially happy either.” She smiled wistfully. “All the magic at the Library, you’d think that there would be some spell or something that could **make** us happy!”

“Wouldn’t that be nice? Or if there’s no such thing as a happiness spell, maybe a truth spell that could help us figure out our own hearts.” 

“Hmm… The trouble is that I **know** my heart, and it isn’t leading me anyplace good.”

“But do you, though?” Cassandra looked thoughtful. “Or is it the Library?”

“What does the Library have to do with this?”

“I don’t know. It’s just something I’ve been trying to figure out. I’ve never understood why I fell so desperately in love with the Library the second I saw it. And yes, I know that I betrayed the Library—“

“We’ve all forgiven you for that, Cassandra. Long ago.”

“I know. But the point is, I didn’t **know** that I was betraying the Library. I honestly thought that I was helping. I thought Flynn was mistaken about magic and that Dulaque had a better sense of what the Library wanted. I was one-hundred percent mistaken about the best way to protect the Library, but from the moment I entered those doors, I would have done anything for it, even violate my own sense of right and wrong if I thought the Library would be better for it.” She smiled. “Jake has said pretty much the same thing. And Ezekiel would never **say** so, but he feels the same way; I can see it in his eyes. I sometimes wonder if the Library doesn’t do that, somehow, to the people it invites in. Put things in our heads and maybe also in our hearts; things that will help it protect itself.”

“Huh. That had never occurred to me before, but it makes sense, I guess. The Library is certainly powerful enough to get inside our heads. And if the Library is going to stay hidden, it’s logical that it wouldn’t take any chances on the loyalty of the people it invites in. But what does that have to do with my feelings for Flynn?”

“Maybe the Library manipulates our feelings for each other as well.”

“NO!” Baird was stunned by the suggestion. “No way!”

“Hear me out. You would die for any of us Librarians, without a moment’s hesitation. Wouldn’t you?”

“Of course I would.”

“Why?”

“Why? What kind of question is that? It’s my job. The four of you are my responsibility. That’s what I’m here for.”

“But you had a job when you first came to the Library, and it wasn’t Guardian. You were on leave, but you still had a good solid career with NATO and that’s where your loyalty should have been. Why were you willing to risk your life for people you had only just met? Why did you feel responsible for us then?” Baird blinked in surprise and Cassandra smiled. “I think it was the Library. And I also think that it goes beyond keeping Librarians safe. I think the Library makes Guardians care about their Librarians and also makes Librarians care about their Guardians. It does go both ways, you know.”

“Why? Why would it… violate… us like that?”

“Presumably because the Library is better protected by teams of people working together. The faster it can foster bonds between its protectors, the safer it is.”

“No. No. You’re wrong. I mean, yes, I care about all four of you, but that’s because the four of you are who you are, not because any damn mystical building wants me to feel that way!” Baird shook her head. “The feelings that I have for Flynn aren’t manufactured. And I’m also not buying the idea that the friendships I feel for you and Stone and Jones aren’t real. It simply isn’t true.”

“I don’t buy that either,” Cassandra admitted with a gentle smile. “Or at least, I don’t believe that our feelings don’t have their own basis in reality. They may have gotten a magical jump start without our knowledge or consent, but that doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t have grown into them eventually anyway.” 

“Thank you!”

Cassandra moved from her position against the wall and into Baird’s personal space. She knelt on her knees, placing her hands on each of the other woman’s thighs. “And so, logically, it must follow that any feelings I have for you are just as genuine as the ones you feel for Flynn or any of us. Because the thing is, Eve, those feelings **do** go both ways.”

Baird got the feeling that she had walked into a trap of some kind, though she couldn’t for the life of her imagine how. Still, she felt unaccountably nervous as she asked, “Uh, what feelings might those be?”

Cassandra inched further into her personal space. “Strong feelings. Librarian/Guardian type feelings.”

“That’s, um, nice. But you do know that I’m **kinda** straight, right?” Baird thought that might have gone better if her voice hadn’t risen to a near squeak by the end.

Cassandra said nothing, but slowly leaned in still closer. Her progress was slow and Baird could easily have gotten away if she’d wanted to, but she froze. Somehow, the soldier found herself remembering how attractive Cassandra had been when she’d been transformed into Prince Charming, only this time, neither woman had the excuse of a magic spell to hide behind. The only things keeping them apart were Baird’s rocky and perhaps non-existent relationship with Flynn, and her self-declared but currently non-believable non-attraction to women.

Cassandra’s lips met Baird’s, and the older woman felt a shock go through her system. The redhead tasted of watermelon lip gloss and raw electricity. Rocked to the core, Baird gurgled out, “Okay, mostly. I’m **mostly** straight.”

Cassandra chuckled, a rich, throaty sound that affected Baird even more than the kiss had. She reached for the taller woman, still gentle but less tentatively than before, and Baird—

*~*~*

RESET

*~*~*

4.

Stone kept yelling at Jones and Cassandra long after they were out of ear range. Eventually, he turned to Baird with a sour expression on his face. “So, what should we do for the next couple of hours? There was a time when I might have dreamed of getting locked in a closet with an attractive girl, but I think I’m a little old for ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ these days.”

“Did anyone ever **actually** play ‘Seven Minutes,’ or was that entirely the invention of After School specials?”

“Hey, I grew up in a small town. We kind of figured that those specials were templates for life.”

Baird snorted. “You were born in, what? 1980? Were they even showing them any longer once you were old enough to watch them?” Stone grinned and shrugged, admitting nothing. Baird smiled back and asked, “Well, if cautionary party games are off the table, do you happen to have a deck of cards on you?”

“Afraid not. We’ll just have to talk, I guess.” Stone paused, then continued. “Actually, there’s something that I’ve wanted to say to you for a while, but I was a bit embarrassed by it. Since you won’t remember this conversation, I guess this is my chance.”

Thinking of her travels between alternate realities, Baird swallowed nervously. “Yeah, me too. There’s something that I’ve wanted to tell you for about six months now. Well, not **wanted** to tell you, but rather something that I’ve felt like I **should** tell you. Something that I’ve felt like you had the right to know, but I just never knew how to bring it up.”

Stone grinned. “I’m intrigued. So, do you want to go first, or should I?”

“Do you mind if I do?” Stone quirked his head in silent permission. “Okay.” She took a deep breath then let it out in one quick phrase. “I-know-what-it’s-like-to-kiss-you.”

Stone was clearly gobsmacked. “Come again?”

“Or rather, I know what it’s like for **you** to kiss **me** , because it was definitely you doing all the kissing. Only it wasn’t **really** you. Or at least not **you** -you.”

“Umm… Still not getting it. I mean, I’m pretty certain that I would have remembered it if I’d ever kissed you. Even if I’d been under demonic possession at the time, I think I’d **still** know about it, because I’m guessing that I would have woken up with internal injuries after a stunt like that.”

Mentally cursing herself for not making him go first (or, better yet, avoiding this conversation altogether!), Baird gave Stone a stumbling explanation. “Do you remember when Dulaque cut the Loom of Fate?”

“And you almost died?” Stone’s eyes were dark. “Yeah, that rings a bell or two.”

“Not the almost dying part. The part about me traveling between alternate universes.” Stone nodded. “Well, apparently, we were… involved… in the universe where you were the Librarian. Well, not **us** , but kind of—I mean-- You know what I mean.” He nodded again. “So when Librarian Jacob saw me, he thought I was his Eve and he kissed me. I got the impression that things had been pretty serious between them before I—uh, his Eve was killed.”

“Wow. I don’t know what to say about that. I mean, that’s, uh—“

“Crazy! Right? That’s crazy!”

“Definitely crazy, all right.” If Baird hadn’t been so relieved to hear him say that, she might have been a bit insulted with how fervently he rejected any possibility of being with her. “Totally crazy.”

Baird was quickly becoming convinced that the idea of her with Stone wasn’t half as crazy as her previous conviction that it was a good idea to tell him about it. Still, she was committed now. “So, this has been bothering me for months and—“

“Why? Was I really that bad of a kisser?” Stone looked genuinely worried by this possibility. “Or rather, alternate me?”

“No! Not at all! Not in the slightest bit!” Baird blinked, realizing that telling him that he was an amazing kisser was hardly going to reduce the awkwardness, so she went right to the heart of her guilt. “It just hasn’t felt right to me that I have this memory of us—only **not** us, but kind of us—that you don’t have. Like it’s a problem with consent, or a violation of a friendship, or… something like that…”

“Yeah, I can see why that would bother you. I’m glad you got to get it off your chest.” At that, his eyes drifted down to her chest, seemingly of their own volition. He immediately closed his eyes and shook himself. “I’m more glad, though, that I won’t remember this conversation.” 

“Yeah. Me too.” Baird forced out a fake smile, in hopes of breaking the tension. “So. What did you want to tell me?”

“Nothing.” She quirked an eyebrow at him and he threw up his arms defensively. “Really! Nothing to compare with what you had to say. It was actually pretty stupid, now that I stop to think about it.”

There was an uncomfortable silence before Baird asked, “Are you **sure** you don’t have a deck of cards on you?”

Stone smiled. “No, but I do spy with my little eye something brown.”

Baird laughed and tif he tension wasn't gone, it was at least a little bit less than it had been a moment before. “Is it bigger than—“

*~*~*

RESET

*~*~*

3.

“So what now? I don’t know about you, but I think I’m getting a bit old for ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’.”

“You never played ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven!’ Nobody did. I’m not convinced that game ever existed outside of After School specials on ABC.”

“Hey, I grew up in a small town. We kind of figured that those specials were templates for life.” Baird laughed. “We did play ‘Truth or Dare’ though. I was never a fan of that game before, but I do actually have a truth that I’d like to say to you.”

“Yeah, me too. Do you want to go first, or should I?”

“I will.” Stone smiled rather sweetly. “The truth is that your friendship means a helluva lot to me, Eve. It’s real important to me that you to know that.”

Baird hoped that he could see how touched she was by this. “Thank you, Jacob. I feel the same way.”

“No, you don’t.” She started to object, but he quickly interrupted her. “I don’t mean that I’m a better friend than you are, I mean that you don’t have the same background as me, so our friendship can’t possibly mean the same thing to you as it does to me.” He sighed. “You know that I didn’t want to stand out from the other oil riggers before I became a Librarian, right? That I did everything I could to blend in?” She nodded. “Not a lot of women work on the rigs. A few, if they can prove that they're tougher than the men, but not many. It’s an incredibly macho environment, and it can get a bit sexist.” He smiled humorlessly. “A lot sexist, if I’m being honest about it. And after a testosterone filled day on the rigs, we’d go bars after work, and it would get even worse. I didn’t like it, and I never harassed anyone myself, but there was a lot of shit flying around that I never said anything about. I wanted to fit in, you know?”

“I get it.” Baird smiled humorlessly. “I’ve sat through conversations I didn’t like either, in order to fit into the Officers’ Mess. Believe me, I get it.”

Stone nodded. “Plus, there was the whole thing with my Pops. He’s real homophobic, and I had one or two… significant others… that would **not** have met with his approval, if you know what I mean.” Baird said nothing, so Stone assumed that she did. “When it came to gender relations, I **really** kept my head down, like as far as it would go. So, the upshot is, I had a few girlfriends before I came to the Library, but I never had a woman who was my **friend**. Just… a friend. No romance, no sex, no awkwardness because of gender differences; just a friend. I’ve liked having that. I really value our friendship.”

“I do too.” Baird put her elbow out and Stone bumped it. “But I’m not your only female friend. Cassandra cares a great deal about you.”

“Yeah, but I could see Cassie as being more than a friend, some day. Or maybe I’m deluding myself, but I’ve certainly thought about it. I don’t see that with you. Like, at all.” He blushed. “Not that you’re not attractive and all, but…”

Baird laughed. “Yeah, I get that too. And ditto on that as well!”

“So, there was something you wanted to tell me?”

“Nope. Nothing at all!”

“But you said—“

“Yeah, I know I did, but I think one big truth is enough for me for one day. I need to decompress with a lighter topic for a while.”

“Yeah, you’re probably—“ 

*~*~*

RESET

*~*~*

2.

“You’re crazy!” Stone knew he sounded harsh, and normally he’d feel badly about that, but damnit, the girl was just plain **wrong**. In a voice dripping with mockery, he repeated Cassandra’s ridiculous claim. “Benny’s my favorite Companion. HAH! She doesn’t count. She was only in the novels and audios; never on screen. Everyone knows that only screen Companions count.”

“Not true!” Cassandra rejoined hotly. “Big Finish Companions were made canonical in ‘Night of the Doctor,’ so Benny counts just as much as Barbara and Ian!”

Off in the corner, Baird was slowly banging her head on the wall while chanting, “Any time now, Jones. You can die any time now. I’m ready any time you are.”

“I don’t care what Steven Moffat said in that one teeny little minisode; he’s wrong and you’re wrong. That’s all. Just straight up out of your mind.” Stone’s eyes narrowed. “But you might be able to redeem yourself here. Who’s the best **New** Who Companion?”

Cassandra threw her head back and looked defiant. He wasn’t going to like her answer; he just knew it. “Gabby Gonzalez!”

He had thought he was prepared, but this left him flabbergasted. “Gabby Gonzalez? From the comics?!? A character that only appears in the fucking comic books? Okay, you’re just straight up messing with me now!”

Baird began hitting her head harder now. “Come on, Jones. Die! I know you can do it! Just die al—“

*~*~*

RESET

*~*~*

1.

Once he could no longer see Baird and Jones, Stone turned to Cassandra in defeat. “So, what should we do for the next couple of hours? There was a time when I might have dreamed of getting locked in a closet with an attractive girl, but I think I’m a little old for ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ these days.”

“Seven minutes? What’s that?”

“You never heard of ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’?” Cassandra shook her head. “It was a party game invented in the late fifties, a way for Baby Boomer teens to piss off their World War II parents. Two people get locked in a closet for seven minutes and talk or make out or do whatever. When other party-goers let them out, neither is supposed to talk about whatever happened in the closet, just wink a lot and insinuate. It’s kind of a lame way to get a reputation, but when you’re a kid, it seems cool.”

“Huh. I never really went to parties when I was a teenager. Never knew what I was missing!” Cassandra smiled. “Were you a big party animal, before you came to the Library?”

“Not really. I used to go bar hopping after work, but that’s not really the same.”

“I’ve never done that either.” Stone looked surprised, so Cassandra tapped the side of her head. “Brain grape. Makes me the world’s biggest lightweight when it comes to alcohol. That’s why I’d never been drunk before we went to Dorian’s club; it’s just not a good idea when you have a tumor.”

Not knowing what to say to that, Stone went with the truest thing he could think of. “I’m sorry.” She smiled but said nothing. “Too bad I’ve never been one to carry a flask around with me. I’ve never wanted one before after seeing what a mess my Pop has made out of his life, but as long as we’re stuck here with no consequences, this would be as good a time as any for you to see what you’re missing.”

Cassandra laughed. “Considering how sick I got when I drank nothing but water, I’d love to guzzle whiskey without a hangover. Might balance the scales a bit, or something.” Stone smiled. “But if there's no flask, I wouldn't mind trying that Seven Minutes game.”

“What? Cassie, I didn't mean to--”

He didn't get any further into his objection before Cassandra stretched upwards to lightly brush her lips across his. Stone stared at her for a moment, assuring himself that he saw wanting in her eyes, then he clutched her to him and began kissing her in earnest.

Stone had thought about kissing Cassandra for almost a year now, and it was everything that he'd hoped that it might be. When he felt her hands creeping downwards, however, he reluctantly pushed her away. “We ain't doing this, Cassie.”

Cassandra blushed a vibrant red that clashed with her auburn hair. “Oh. Jake, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have--”

“You should have,” he assured her. “We're all good. I wanted to kiss you, and I'm glad that it happened. But anything more than kissing? **That** ain't happening. Not here, at any rate, and not now.”

“But--”

“Look around, Cassie. There's no furniture in here, and making love to a beautiful woman on a tile floor just ain't my style. Hell, there isn't even any open wall space other than the door, and that's got a huge-ass window on it.” He smiled rather sweetly. “I don't know if it's possible to give a kinky thrill to video game monsters, but I don't intend to find out.”

Cassandra lost her look of panicked embarrassment and grinned ruefully. “I guess you're right. Although…” Her grin turned coquettish and her eyes gleamed with mischief. “I've never been into exhibitionism before, and I don't think I am now, but this would be as good a time as any to find out if I like it after all. You know, with the whole 'won't remember/no consequences' thing we've got going on for us today...”

“And that's an even bigger problem than our location.” Stone brought his hands up and cupped Cassandra's cheeks tenderly. “I want a relationship with you, Cassie. I've wanted it for a while. I've wanted it long enough that something without consequences doesn't appeal to me at all. When we start something, I want it to **matter**. I **need** it to matter. This--” He pulled one hand away and waved it about. “This doesn't work for me. I want to make love to you—in a bed—and have it mean something. Because to me, it will mean everything. Knowing that I won't remember it?” He stepped back from her, but smiled so that she knew he wasn't angry. “I want to pass on that, if you don't mind.”

She stared at him in wonder. “I never knew you felt that strongly, Jake. Not about me, anyway.”

“That's because I never had the courage to tell you.” He grinned wryly. “So, okay, yeah. I guess some part of me is getting off on the no-consequences thing after all.”

“It goes both ways, Jake.” Cassandra wasn't certain if she was talking about her feelings for Stone or her cowardice in not admitting them, but he seemed to understand the ambiguity, because he nodded his understanding and pulled her in for a hug. “Except for the no-strings sex. Because I'm all in favor of that!”

Stone laughed but said, “I'm not,” before kissing her chastely on the forehead and pushing her away. “So, in order to ward off temptation, are you up for a game of 'Eye Spy'?”

Cassandra laughed as well. “I don't know if you can handle it. I'm pretty cut-throat at this game.”

“Bring it!”

*~*~*

RESET


End file.
